Category: Amateur Radio

Each month, there are always some History related Amateur Radio Special Event Stations; I picked three to write about for August 2018. To be more accurate, two of them are organizations which are being commemorated by multiple stations: the US Coast Guard’s (USCG) Anniversary and the Citizens Conservation Corps (CCC). Many are familiar with the USCG and its lifesaving role on the coasts and waterways of the nation (among other roles), but I imagine more than a few aren’t familiar with the CCC; it was a program that helped put people to work during the Great Depression and is just as deserving of recognition as one of our military services is. The third event that is being commemorated by a special event station this month is the flight of a US Navy blimp to the Arctic. It was part of a dual mission utilizing the latest technology of the era and some of the oldest aviation technology.

On the weekend of 4/5 August, a number of amateur radio stations and groups will be operating special event stations in honor of the US Coast Guard’s 228th Anniversary. On 4 August 1790, Congress authorized the Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton to form the United States Revenue Cutter Service, charged with enforcing customs laws. Since there was no United States Navy at the time (it wasn’t re-established until 1798), the Cutter Service also took on additional duties (some of which they still carry out today) as coastal defense, rescue, government transport, and mail transport. In 1915, the Cutter Revenue Service was merged with the United States Lifesaving Service to create the United States Coast Guard. In 1939, the Coast Guard took on additional duties when United States Lighthouse Service was brought under its control. In 1942, the Coast Guard picked up more responsibilities when the Bureau of Marine Inspection and Navigation was put under their control. As a result of these mergers and transfers, the Coast Guard became a multi-role agency with search and rescue, regulatory, and law enforcement duties. Because it can be transferred to military control during wartime, the Coast Guard is also considered one of the nation’s armed forces. During both World War I and World War II, it was transferred to the control of Navy Department and transferred back to the Treasury Department after the wars. After the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the Coast Guard was transferred from the Treasury Department to the Department of Homeland Security. The Coast Guard has a significant presence in coastal Georgia, with stations in Savannah and Brunswick, at the port facilities in Savannah and Brunswick, and with Coast Guard Air Station Savannah at Hunter AAF in Savannah.

Citizens Conservation Corps on the Air (CCC on the Air) is 11/12 August (it takes place each year on the second full weekend of August). Amateur radio operators and groups across the country will be setting up and operating from the sites CCC camps and public works projects built by the CCC to honor the work of the Corps and the men it employed. The CCC was was one of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal work relief programs. Between the years of 1933 and 1942, the CCC employed men between the ages of 17 and 28 as unskilled manual laborers to conserve and improve local, state, and federal government owned lands. It served two purposes; it put many unemployed men back to work and improved government lands for the public. One of the most popular of the New Deal programs to relieve unemployment caused by the Great Depression, it also had a lasting impact on the country. Many of the state and federal parks and historic sites we have today are here because of the work the CCC did in reforestation, building programs, and infrastructure improvements. In coastal Georgia, CCC projects included (among many others) Fort Stewart, Fort Pulaski, McKinnon St. Simons Island Airport, the St. Simons Island Coast Guard Station, and the Okefenokee NWR. Look for participating stations on or around 3.550 CW and 3.950 LSB, 7.050 CW and 7.250 LSB, 14.050 CW and 14.250 USB, 21.050 CW and 21.250 USB, and 28.050 CW and 28.350 USB.

On 18 August 2018, the Shea Naval Aviation Museum Amateur Radio Club, W1NAS in South Weymouth, MA will be commemorating the 60th anniversary of the flight of the US Navy blimp Snow Goose from Naval Air Station South Weymouth to Resolute Bay on the Arctic Circle. Prior to finding the listing for this special event station, I didn’t know anything about this flight; while researching it online, I didn’t find much and what I did find seems to conflict with some of the information in the listing on the ARRL’s website (see next paragraph). In late July and August 1958, the ZPG-2 Airship Snow Goose and its crew made the flight for the purpose of evaluating lighter-than-air craft for supporting Arctic science and military missions. The flight took Snow Goose and crew from South Weymouth to Akron, OH to Fort Churchill in Manitoba, Canada to Resolute Bay where they then flew to Ice Island T-3. It was the first airship to fly into the Arctic Circle since it was done by the Graf Zeppelin in July 1931. The flight was 4,700 miles long and the airship never went above 2,100 ft. above sea level. Snow Goose‘s mission was successful, but ultimately it was for naught because the Navy ended that era of airship operations in 1961. W1NAS will be operating on or near 14.250 USB and 7.250 LSB. QSL via Steve Cohn, W1OD, 10 Hemlock Terrace, Randolph, MA 02368.

Both the ARRL listing and one of the sources I found indicate that the Snow Goose‘s mission was concurrent with the USS Nautilus‘s Arctic mission in August 1958. The conflict comes in where the ARRL listing states that the Snow Goose and USS Nautilus maintained communications with each other. Multiple book reviews of Arctic Mission: 90 North by Airship and Submarine by William Althoff, however, state that the two missions were not aware of each other because the Nautilus’ mission was secret whereas the Snow Goose‘s was public (just because the public was told the two missions weren’t’ aware of each, however, doesn’t mean they weren’t – it wouldn’t surprise me if they did maintain communications). The reviews of Arctic Mission also indicate that both missions were a response to the Soviet Union’s Sputnik launch. If you’re interested, the Lighter Than Air Society has a wonderful account of the flight by one of the crew members. I’m really interested in trying to find out more about this flight, including getting a copy of Althoff’s book if I can find an inexpensive one!

On 25/26 August, KD7ZDO, Clackamas County Amateur Radio Emergency Services in Oregon City, OR will be commemorating the End of the Oregon Trail’s 175th Anniversary.

In addition to these special events, the weekend of 18/19 August is International Lighthouse and Lightship Weekend (ILLW), which along with Museum Ships on the Air Weekend, is one of my favorite amateur radio events of the year. It isn’t unusual for lighthouses and lightships to be landmarks, historic sites, or museums, so ILLW is also a History related event. There is a huge list of participants in this event, so you’re likely to be able to add more than one lighthouse or lightship to you log over the weekend.

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The month of July sees a lot of Independence Day special event stations as well as the 13 Colonies Special Event (to be honest, it’s almost become more of a contest than a special event), but there are three History related amateur radio special event stations this July that stand out. The first commemorates the Battle of Gettysburg, the largest and probably most well-known battle of the American Civil war. It’s important that we remember the Civil War as an example of what happens when we are unable to govern ourselves and take up arms against each other as a result. The second commemorates the Whiskey Rebellion, one of the first tests of our new government following the American Revolution. Perhaps there was something to learn from the Whiskey Rebellion that both of our political parties overlooked in the years prior to the 2016 Presidential election. The third special event station commemorates the Maryland Slave Rebellion in 1845. The slave rebellion can remind us that even though our country was founded on the concept that “…all men are created equal…” some have always been more equal than others and that not all of us have been free. Independence Day is a time to celebrate our independence and our freedoms but we should also use it, particularly this year, to reflect on where we’ve been and where we’re going, what our Country has been, and what we want it to be.

Bob Hess, WO4L, is operating special event station W1G through 10 July 2018 in remembrance of the Battle of Gettysburg. The Battle of Gettysburg took place from 1 July 1863 to 3 July 1863 around the town of Gettysburg, PA and was not only the largest battle of the Civil War but the largest battle to have occurred in North America. On the first day of the battle, Union cavalry under General John Buford and infantry under General John Reynolds held the line against Confederate forces under General A.P. Hill, allowing Union forces to hold advantageous positions over the Confederates. Day two of the battle was long and bloody; throughout the day more units of the Union Army of the Potomac and the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia arrived on the field and were fed into the battle. On Day 3, the Confederates suffered from General Robert E. Lee’s overconfidence and aggressiveness. Over half of the troops he sent against strong Union lines on Cemetery Ridge didn’t return; it was a waste of perfectly good infantry. Both sides took heavy casualties, over 23,000 for the Union and over 28,000 for the Confederates; but the Confederates lost more percentage wise and most importantly lost too many experienced leaders. Along with the surrender of Vicksburg on 4 July 1863, Gettysburg proved to be a turning point in the Civil War. W1G will be active on or around 18.158, 14.288, 7.227, and 3.830. QSL via Robert J Hess, WO4L, 74 Curtis Dr, East Berlin, PA 17316.

From 3 July to 15 July 2018, Washington Amateur Communications in Washington, PA will be operating special event station W3R commemorating the Whiskey Rebellion. The Whiskey Rebellion lasted from 1791 to 1794 in response to a tax on whiskey instituted by the US Government. Suggested by Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, President George Washington was assured by local officials in Pennsylvania and Virginia that the tax wouldn’t meet much opposition so Washington, in turn, assured Congress that it wouldn’t be a problem. Unfortunately, it seems that those local officials didn’t know or weren’t concerned with the feelings of the western population of their states, because when the tax went into effect it was heavily opposed in the west. Tax officials were met with harassment, resistance, and violence. Hamilton called for troops to be sent in to enforce the tax, but Washington decided to try peace envoys first. The peace initiative failed, so Washington sent in troops under his leadership. As he led 13,000 militia into western Pennsylvania to put down the rebellion, the rebels melted away and only around twenty arrests were made. Most of those arrested were acquitted and those found guilty were pardoned by Washington. Although the Whiskey Tax eventually proved impossible to enforce and was repealed by Congress in 1802, the response to the Whiskey Rebellion was a critical test to the new United States Government. Washinton’s handling of the rebellion proved that the Federal Government could and would put down violent resistance to federal laws. One wonders if the government’s overlooking of the feelings and views of the western citizens before the Whiskey Rebellion was repeated in the overlooking in recent years of the working class that helped bring about the election of President Trump? W3R will be operating on or around 50.300, 18.160, 14.270, and 7.275. QSL for a certificate via William Steffey, Radio Hill, Bells Lake Rd, Prosperity, PA 15329.

On 7 July 2018, the Expatriate Marylanders Radio Club will be operating special event station N3APS to commemorate the Maryland Slave Rebellion of 7-8 July 1845. On 7 July 1845, a group of slaves from Charles County Maryland began moving by road in an attempt to reach freedom in Pennsylvania, approximately 110 miles away. As other slaves along the way joined in, the group became impossible not to notice and were eventually intercepted by a group known as the Montgomery Volunteers. The leaders of the slave group, armed only with a pistol, swords, clubs, and farm implements, decided to give battle. Outgunned, it wasn’t much of a battle, with most of the slaves being captured, some killed, and a few escaping. The Slave Rebellion struck fear into the citizens of the surrounding area, resulting in further restrictions on slaves, “Committees of Vigilance,” and more volunteers for organizations like the Montgomery Volunteers. N3APS will be operating on or near 50.150, 28.325, 14.325, and 7.290. QSL via Expatriate Marylanders Radio Club, P.O. Box 617, Orinda, CA 94563.

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Brunswick, GA – Due to it being a busy weekend at work, I hadn’t planned on operating in Field Day this year, but after getting off from work a little bit late and having breakfast yesterday, I changed my mind. I parked behind work, turned on the FT-857D in the mobile station and tuned up the ATAS-120A antenna on 40 Meters. I intended to just get on 40 Meters for a few minutes and make a few QSOs but instead ended up working 12 stations on 40 Meters. Since 40 Meters was in such good condition, I decided to go ahead and give 20 Meters a try as well; I ended up with 13 QSOs. After a made the run through 20 Meters, it was just after 1300 UTC (0900 local), so I decided to see if anything was happening on 15 Meters; it was indeed active and I ended up with another 13 QSOs. Since I haven’t heard much activity on 15 Meters recently, I thought that maybe since it was open, 10 Meters might be open, too. I tuned the FT-857D over to 10 Meters and discovered that the band was beginning to open up; it wasn’t open good quite yet, but I still made another 5 QSOs. Since 10 Meters was open, I decided to push my luck again and see if maybe 6 Meters open. 6 Meters was trying to open up, but I still managed to add two stations to the log. I wouldn’t be surprised if both 10 and 6 Meters opened up better later in the morning.

I only operated for a couple of hours, but a little over two consecutive hours and 45 QSOs was the most operating I’ve done at one time in at least a year. Band conditions, while not the best in the world, weren’t terrible. Over the course of two hours, I worked 17 states, including much of the southeastern and east coast states: Alabama, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virgin Islands, and West Virginia. Even though I had just completed a shift on the work radios, it made for a truly fun morning on the air.

Yesterday was also the first real workout I’ve given the FT-857D/ATAS-120A mobile combination and a workout and the first opportunity to compare the ATAS-120A to the Opek HVT-400B I used previously. I was very pleased with how the FT-857D and ATAS-120A worked. Neither the ATAS-120A or HVT-400B are great antennas on 40 Meters, but the ATAS-120A gives me a lot more capability than the HVT-400B did; I found it a lot easier to make contacts on 40 Meters yesterday than I ever did with the HVT-400B. On 20 Meters, there’s not as big of a difference between the two, but the ATAS-120A definitely has the edge there as well. On 15 Meters, I didn’t notice a lot of difference; 15 Meters seemed to be a sweet spot for the HVT-400B and it seems to be the same for the ATAS-120A as well. 10 Meters and 6 Meters weren’t really open enough to form an opinion, but so far it seems like the ATAS-120A definitely hears more on 6 Meters than the HVT-400B did.

After a period of inactivity, I think yesterday morning also rekindled an interest in operating. Since I had so much fun yesterday morning, I doubt it will take another year before I operate like that again; I think I’ll be a little more active on HF. I hope other Hams had as much fun as I did and had the opportunity to put in more hours on the air than I did.

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Savannah – Earlier today, I visited the Savannah National Wildlife Refuge to decompress from the week at work. While I was there, a rainstorm came up so I parked on the side of the wildlife drive and waited for the storm to pass. Since it is Sporadic E season and I haven’t had the opportunity to try out the new ATAS-120A mobile HF/6 Meter antenna on 6 Meters, I tuned the FT-857D to 50.125 MHz and pressed the Tune button. After a few seconds, the ATAS-120A tuned itself to the frequency and showed a low SWR. A few minutes later I heard a station start calling CQ so I returned his call. It turned out to be Ron, K5WLT from Seguin, TX (near San Antonio). It was the first 6 Meter contact I’ve made in years (the Opek HVT-400B never really got the job done for me on 6 Meters) and the first one I’ve made with the ATAS-120A. K5WLT gave me a good signal and audio report, so I’m very pleased with what the mobile HF/6 Meter setup is capable of. I imagine that for the rest of the summer, whenever I’m on the road, I’ll have the FT-857D tuned to 50.125 MHz listening for E openings!

After the rain stopped, it turned out to be a pretty good refuge visit, too. I got one of my best Glossy Ibis photos yet and saw a Purple Gallinule, but it was too far away for a good photo.

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Clarkesville, GA – On Monday and Tuesday I had to make a trip up to Clarkesville, GA for work; it’s an almost five-hour drive from Savannah, so it was good to have the radios in the car to keep me company on the way up. My route of travel was I-16 westbound from Savannah to US 1 in Swainsboro to SR 17 in Wrens to overnight in Lavonia and the to Clarkesville via SR17 on Tuesday morning. The trip home on Tuesday evening was a reverse of the trip up. The route took me through an area along SR 17 that featured a lot of public safety DMR trunking systems as well as some NXDN systems, so it was a great opportunity to get some more experience with DMR and listen to some NXDN traffic for the first time. During the trip, I used a Uniden Home Patrol 2, a Uniden BCD436HP, a Whistler TRX-1, and a Yaesu FT-8800 transceiver.

The Whistler TRX-1 definitely outperformed the Uniden BCD436HP on DMR, especially when all of the DMR TRS parameters were unknown. Although I haven’t been particularly pleased with the TRX-1 on 700/800 MHz P25 trunking, I was definitely pleased with its VHF DMR and NXDN performance during this trip. The audio from both DMR and NXDN was crisp, clear, and perfectly readable.

Amateur Radio

With the exception of one 70cm repeater, all of the repeaters I heard active during the trip were 2 Meter repeaters. It seemed that throughout the trip I was within the range of at least one repeater at all times. In hindsight, as well as I was hearing public safety traffic from the South Carolina counties bordering Georgia, I probably should have programmed in some repeaters from the South Carolina side of the Georgia/South Carolina border; the next time I make this trip I plan on doing so.

If you’re going to travel up SR 17 through east Georgia and/or northeast Georgia and want to monitor public safety communications along the way, you’ll want to use a DMR capable scanner or you may miss a considerable amount of traffic. Although some counties simulcast primary dispatch for Fire/EMS communications on an analog frequency, far more traffic is on the DMR and in some instances NXDN systems in Banks, Habersham, Jefferson, Lincoln, McDuffie (encrypted), Stephens (encrypted) Washington, and White (encrypted except for Dispatch) counties

For those interested in FedCom monitoring, there are a number of agencies in east and northeast Georgia to listen to. East Georgia offers some opportunities with from the US Army Corps of Engineers at Strom Thurmond Lake and the Department of Energy from the Savannah River Site TRS. Northeast Georgia offers opportunities from the National Park Service at the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the US Forestry Service at several National Forests.

I didn’t hear nearly as much MilCom traveling through east and northeast Georgia as I normally do in coastal Georgia, but you do have great signals on the Bulldog MOA in East Georgia as you’re practically underneath the MOA in some areas. I was hoping to get some signals on the Fort Gordon sites of the US Army TRS, but it wasn’t to be, I never heard a bit of it. On the other hand, I was within easy range of Augusta Regional Airport and Fort Gordon related aircraft that were using it. You’re also within the range of Shaw AFB, McEntire JNGB, and Charleston AFB during parts of the trip.

If you’re interested in civilian aviation, you’re in great luck as you’ll be on the east and northeast sides of Atlanta’s airspace, making it an extremely target rich environment. As far as the airports along the route go, all of them with the exception of Augusta Regional use Unicom frequencies, although Athens does have an approach/departure frequency before aircraft switch to its airport’s Unicom frequency.

If it wouldn’t have been such a quick trip, 600 miles over two days, it would have been a wonderful road trip, but as it was it wasn’t all that bad. Getting to see the mountains was quite the departure from the normal coast scenes of coastal Georgia. While in northeast Georgia, I took the opportunity to visit both the Currahee Museum in Toccoa and Tugaloo State Park between Toccoa and Lavonia; I’ll have a post up about that later. I definitely want to get back up to northeast Georgia and spend some more time, so it’s been added to my vacation to-do-list.